Improving the Life Expectancy of High Voltage Components Using Nanocomposite Surface Solutions

Moisture buildup on high voltage antenna components can cause electrical shorts that damage system parts and produce communication noise. Not only are significant costs incurred repairing and replacing damaged components, but critical operations communications can be disrupted by these electrical discharges. This STTR proposal will apply hydrophobic and superhydrophobic coatings to antenna components which will eliminate moisture buildup on the surface of the materials and prevent damage. Two different coating compositions will be investigated; a gas phase silane coating for covalently bonded hydrophobic coatings and a spray coated nano-particle coating for superhydrophobic properties. Both coatings will be tested against a control for changes in breakdown voltage under dry and wet conditions. Additionally, the coatings will be tested for durability through abrasion testing. Using these test metrics the coating methods will be optimized to produce the highest quality and highest durability coating which will be selected for large scale testing. The production methods and performance data will be used to help quantify large scale production pricing and customer value proposition.